By Olivia Janis
On a recent Tuesday at lunch, I brought my lunch from the cafeteria to the senior lounge, where a representative from Tulane University was going to speak about his school. As a sophomore, it was a little premature for me to attend one of these college rep visits, but I’d always wondered what they were like, and about the role they play in the search process.
The Tulane Representative, who seemed very young, went into detail about the Tulane experience and how to best manage the application process. It was a very comfortable environment, and he answered questions about housing, social events, college essays, and the process of demonstrating your interest to attend their school. He was very straightforward in informing us about what Tulane is looking for from students who apply. He also explained the vibe outside the campus and the other possibilities for studying abroad.
The morning before the Tulane session, I met with Ms. Armato, the associate director of college counseling, to learn about the main purpose of these visits.
She said it’s not just important for students to learn about the colleges but for colleges to “get a sense of who we are as a community and to get to know our students.” She said often the reps are the ones reading the Lovett applications. “So it’s a really good opportunity for them to get to know us and us to know them,” she said, “so that we can maintain relationships throughout the application process.”
The website Scoir is the way seniors sign up for these meetings. The college counseling department promotes the meetings in the morning announcements as well as on the Lovett website, and the TV in front of the college counseling offices. Ms. Armato told me that juniors and sophomores also are able to attend and do not have to sign up.
There are three slots a day when the meetings take place, before school, at lunch, and after school. “Typically we have up to two colleges that can visit at a time,” said Ms. Armato.
I wondered if these meetings help students broaden students college lists. After all, many students seem to know exactly where they want to go.
Ms. Armato said that some of it is indeed confirmation. “If you think you are already interested in a school it might deepen your understanding of why that school could potentially be a good fit for you. It’s a really good way to confirm that you really like a school you have already been researching.”
But she also said it’s an opportunity “to discover something about a new school that you were unsure about.”
A couple of days later I spoke with senior Landon Kalish, who attended the meeting (and is actually in a position to apply this year).
Landon most liked that the Tulane rep “was charismatic and that he was able to clearly vocalize a lot of our questions about Tulane. I think he, being a representative of the school, was able to paint a picture for all of us of what the vibe was at Tulane.”
He said he is now definitely considering it, especially after the visit. Tulane. “It reinforced the idea that I have had about Tulane,” said Landon.
Landon was especially drawn to something the rep said. He quoted him back to me: “Tulane is a school for kids who worked their ass off through high school and they can take a breath of fresh air and chill out a bit, but still pursue their interests and extracurriculars in college, so they are not killing themselves over again.”
As someone who could use a breath of fresh air, I’m now thinking of applying to Tulane, even though before that day in the college counseling office, I’d never heard of it.
